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with a portage of only 4 miles to the Sandusky, a good navigable ftream that falls into the Lake Erie. Through the Sandusky and Sioto lies the most common pafs from Canada to the Ohio and Miflifippi; one of the moft extenfive and ufeful communications that are to be found in any country. Prodigious extenfions of territory arc here connected; and, from the rapidity with which the weftern parts of Canada, Lake Erie and the Kentucky countries are fettling, we may anticipate an immenfe intercourse between them. The lands on the borders of these middle ftreams, from this circumftance alone, afide from their natural fertility, must be rendered vaftly valuable. There is no doubt, but flour, corn, flax, hemp, &c. raifed for exportation in that great country between the Lakes Huron and Ontario, will find an eafier outlet through Lake Erie and these rivers, than in any other direction. The Ohio merchant can give a higher price than thofe of Quebec, for thefe commodities; as they may be tranfported from the former to Florida and the Weft India islands, with lefs expence, risk and infurance, than from the latter; while the expence from the place of growth to the Ohio will not be one fourth of what it would be to Quebec, and much lefs than even to the Oneyda lake. The ftream of Sioto is gentle, no where broken by falls: At fome places, in the fpring of the year, it overflows its banks, providing for large natural rice plantations. Salt fprings, coal mines, white and blue clay, and free-ftone, abound in the country adjoining this river.

The Little Miami is too fmall for batteaux navigation. Its banks are good land, and fo high as to prevent, in common, the overflowing of the

water.

The Great Miami has a very ftoney channel, and a swift ftream, but no falls. It is formed of feveral large branches, which are paffable for boats a great distance. One branch comes from the west, and rises in the Wabash country: Another rifes near the head waters of Miami river, which runs into Lake Erie; and a fhort portage divides another branch, from the west branch of Sandufky river.

The Wabafe is a beautiful river, with high and fertile banks. It -empties into the Ohio, by a mouth 270 yards wide, 1020 miles below Fort Pitt. In the fpring, fummer and autumn, it is paffable with batteaux, drawing three feet water, 412 miles, to Ouitanon, a fmall French fettlement, on the weft fide of the river; and for large canoes 197 miles further, to the Miami carrying place, 9 miles from Miami village. This village ftands on Miami river, which empties into the fouth-weit part of Lake Erie. The communication between Detroit, and the Illinois, and Ohio countries is, down Miami river to Miami village, thence, by land, y miles when the rivers are high-and from 18 to 30 when they are low, through a level country, to the Wabash, and through the various branches of the Wabash to the places of destination.

A filver mine has been difcovered about 28 miles above Quitanon, on the northern fide of the Wabash. Salt fprings, lime, free-ftone, blue, yellow and white clay are found in plenty upon this river.

The rivers A Vafe and Kafkafkias empty into the Miffifippi from the north-eaft; the former is navigable for boats 60, and the latter about 130 miles. They both run through a rich country, which has extenfive meadows.

Between

Between the Kafkaskias and Illinois rivers, which are 84 miles apart, is an extenfive tract of level, rich land, which terminates in a high ridge, about 15 miles before you reach the Illinois river. In this delightful vale are a number of French villages, which, together with thofe of St. Genevieve and St. Louis, on the weflern fide of the Miffifippi, contained in 1771, 1,273 fencible men.

One hundred and feventy-fix miles above the Ohio, and 18 miles above the Missouri, the Illinois empties into the Miflifippi from the north-eaft by a mouth about 400 yards wide. This river is bordered with fine meadows, which in fome places extend as far as the eye can reach: This river furnishes a communication with Lake Michigan, by the Chicago river, between which and the Illinois, are two portages, the longeft of which does not exceed 4 miles. It receives a number of rivers which are from 20 to 100 yards wide, and navigable for beats from 15 to 180 miles. On the northwestern fide of this river is a coal mine, which extends for half a mile along the middle of the bank of the river. On the eastern fide, about half a mile from the river, and about the fame diftance below the coal mine, are two falt ponds, 100 yards in circumference, and feveral feet in depth. The water is tagnant, and of a yellowish colour; but the French and natives make good falt fr. m it. The foil of the Illinois country is, in general, of a fuperior quality-its natural growth are oak, hiccory, cedar, mulberry, &c. hops, dying drugs, medicinal plants of feveral kinds, and excellent wild grapes. In the year 1769, the French fettlers made 1ro hogfheads of strong wine from thefe grapes.

There are many other rivers of equal fize and importance with thofe we have been defcribing, which are not fufficiently known for accurate defcriptions.

Population.] It is impoffible to tell the exact population of this country, Mr. Hutchins, the geographer of the United States, who is the best acquainted with the country, eftimates them at about 6000 fouls, exclufive of Indians. This number is made up of French, English emigrants from the original ftates, and negroes.

Face of the country, foil and productions.] To the remarks on these heads, interfperfed in the defeription of the rivers, we will add fome obfervations from an anonymous painphlet, lately publifhed, which we prefume are the most authentic, refpecting that part of the country which has beca purchafed of the Indians, of any that have been given.

The undistinguished terms of admiration, that are commonly used in fpeaking of the natural fertility of the country on the wester waters of the United States, would render it difficult, without accurate attention in the furveys, to afcribe a preference to any particular part; or to give a juft defeription of the territory under confideration, without the hazard of being fufpected of exaggeration: But in this we have the united opinion of the geographer, the furveyors, and every traveller that has been intimately acquainted with the country, and marked every natural object with the most fcrupulous exactnefs-That no part of the federal territory unites fo many advantages, in point of health, fertility, variety of production, and foreign intercourfe, as that tract which stretches from the Mufkingum to the Sioto and the Great Miami rivers.

Colonel Gordon, in his journal, fpeaking of a much larger range of Country, in which this is included, and makes unquestionably the finest

part

part, has the following obfervation: The country on the Ohio is every where pleasant, with large level fpots of rich land; and remarkably healthy. One general remark of this nature will ferve for the whole tract of the globe comprehended between the western skirts of the Allegany mountains; thence running fouth-weftwardly to the distance of 500 miles to the Ohio falls; then croffing them northerly to the heads of the rivers that empty themfelves into the Ohio; thence eaft along the ridge that feparates the lakes and Ohio's ftreams, to French creek.-This country may, from a proper knowledge, be affirmed to be the most healthy, the most pleafant, the moft commodious and most fertile spot of earth, known to the European people."

The lands that feed the various ftreams above-mentioned, which fall into the Ohio, are now more accurately known, and may be defcribed with confidence and precifion. They are interfperfed with all the variety of foil which conduces to pleafantnefs of fituation, and lays the foundation for the wealth of an agricultural and manufacturing people. Large level bottoms, or natural meadows, from 20 to 50 miles in circuit, are every where found bordering the rivers, and variegating the country in the interior parts. Thefe afford as rich a foil as can be imagined, and may be reduced to proper cultivation with very little labour. It is faid, that in many of these bottoms a man may clear an acre a day, fit for planting with Indian corn; there being no under wood; and the trees, growing very high and large, but not thick together, need nothing but girdling.

The prevailing growth of timber and the more useful trees are, maple or fugar tree, fycamore, black and white mulberry, black and white walnut, butternut, chefnut, white, black, Spanish and chefnut oaks, hiccory. cherry, buckwood, honey locuft, elm, horfe chefnut, cucumber tree, lynn tree, gum tree, iron wood, afh, afpin, faffafras, crab apple tree, paupaw or custard apple, a variety of plum trees, nine bark fpice, and leather wood bufhes. General Parfons measured a black walnut tree near the Muskingum, whofe circumference, at 5 feet from the ground, was 22 feet. A fycamore, near the fame place, measures 44 feet in circumference, at fome diftance from the ground. White and black oak, and chefnut, with most of the above-mentioned timbers, grow large and plenty upon the high grounds. Both the high and low lands produce vaft quantities of natural grapes of various kinds, of which the fettlers univerfally make a fufficiency for their own confumption of rich red wine. It is afferted in the old fettlement of St. Vincent's, where they have had opportunity to try it, that age will render this wine preferable to most of the European wines. Cotton is the natural production of this country, and grows in great perfection.

The fugar maple is a most valuable tree for an inland country. Any number of inhabitants may be for ever fupplied with a fufficiency of fugar, by preferving a few trees for the ufe of each family. A tree will yield about ten pounds of fugar a year, and the labour is very trifling: The fap is extracted in the months of February and March, and granulated, by the fimple operation of boiling, to a fugar equal in flavour and whiteness to the best Mufcovado.

Springs of excellent water abound in every part of this territory: and fmall and large ftreams, for mills and other purpofes, are actually in

terfperfed

terfperfed, as if by art, that there be no deficiency in any of the convéa niencies of life.

Very little wafte land is to be found in any part of this tract of country. There are no swamps; and though the hills are frequent, they are gentle and fwelling, no where high, nor incapable of tillage. They are of a deep, rich foil, covered with a heavy growth of timber, and well adapted to the production of wheat, rye, indigo, tobacco, &c.

The communications between this country and the fea will be principally in the four following directions.

1. The rout through the Sioto and Muskingum to Lake Erie, and fo to the river Hudfon: which has been already defcribed.

2. The paffage up the Ohio and Monongahela to the portage abovementioned, which leads to the navigable waters of the Potowmac. This portage is 30 miles, and will probably be rendered much lefs by the execution of the plans now on foot for opening the navigation of those

waters.

3. The Great Kanhaway, which falls into the Ohio from the Virgi nia fhore, between the Hockhocking and the Sioto, opens an extenfive na vigation from the fouth-eaft, and leaves but 18 miles portage from the na vigable waters of James river, in Virginia. This eommunication, for the country between Muskingum and Sioto, will probably be more used than any other, for the exportation of manufactures, and other light and valuable articles; and, efpecially, for the importation of foreign commodities, which may be brought from the Chefapeek to the Ohio much cheaper than they are now carried from Philadelphia to Carlifle, and the other thick fettled back counties of Pennfylvania.

4. But the current down the Ohio and the Miffifippi, for heavy articles that fuit the Florida and Weft-India markets, fuch as corn, flour, beef, lumber, &c. will be more frequently loaded than any ftreams on earth. The diftance from the Sioto to the Milifippi is 800 miles; from thence to the fea is goo. This whole courfe is eatily run in 15 days; and the paffage up thofe rivers is not fo difficult as has ufually been reprefented. It is found, by late experiments, that fails are ufed to great advantage against the current of the Ohio: And it is worthy of obfervation, that in all probability steam boats will be found to do infinite fervice in all our extenfive river navigation.

As far as obfervations in paffing the rivers, and the tranfitory remarks of travellers will juftify an opinion, the lands farther down, and in other parts of the unappropriated country, are not equal, in point of foil and other local advantages, to the tract which is here defcribed. This, however, cannot be accurately determined, as the prefent fituation of these countries will not admit of that minute infpection which has been bestowed on the one under confideration,

It is a happy circumftance, that the Ohio Company are about to commence the fettlement of this country in fo regular and judicious a manner. It will ferve as a wife model for the future fettlement of all the federal lands; at the fame time that, by beginning fo near the western limit of Pennfylvania, it will be a continuation of the old fettlements, leaving vacant no lands expofed to be feized by fuch lawlefs banditti as ufually infelt the frontiers of countries diftant from the feat of government. • The

The defign of Congress and of the fettlers is, that the fettlements fhall proceed regularly down the Ohio; and northward to Lake Erie. And it is probable that not many years will elapfe, before the whole country above Miami will be brought to that degree of cultivation, which will exhibit all its latent beauties, and justify thofe defcriptions of travellers which have so often made it the garden of the world, the feat of wealth, and the centre of a great empire.'

Animals, &c.] No country is better stocked with wild game of every kind: Innumerable herds of deer, elk, buffalo, and bear, are sheltered in the groves, and fed in the extenfive bottoms that every where abound ; an unquestionable proof of the great fertility of the foil: Turkies, geefe, ducks, fwans, teal, pheafants, partridges, &e. are, from obfervation, believed to be in greater plenty here, than the tame poultry are in any part of the old fettlements in America.

The rivers are well ftored with fifh of various kinds, and many of them of an excellent quality. They are generally large, though of different fizes: The cat fish, which is the largeft, and of a delicious flavour, weighs from 30 to 80 pounds."

Antiquities and Curiofities.] The number of old forts found in the Kentucky country are the admiration of the curious, and a matter of much fpeculation. They are moftly of a circular form, fituated on ftrong, well chofen ground, and contiguous to water. When, by whom, and for what purpose, these were thrown up, is uncertain. They are certainly very ancient, as there is not the leaft visible difference in the age or fize of the timber. growing on or within thefe forts, and that which grows without; and the oldeft natives have loft all tradition respecting them. They muft have been the efforts of a people much more devoted to labour than our prefent race of Indians; and it is difficult to conceive how they could be conftructed without the ufe of iron tools. At a convenient diftance from thefe always ftands a small mount of earth, thrown up in the form of a pyramid, and feems in fome measure proportioned to the size of its adjacent fortification. On examination, they have been found to contain a chalky fubftance, fuppofed to be bones, and of the human kind.

On an extenfive plain, or, as the French term it parara*, between Poft St. Vincent and Cufcufco river, is what is called the Battle Ground, where the Siack and Cufcufco Indians fought a defperate battle, in which about 800 were killed on each fide. On this fpot, the ground for two miles is covered with skulls and other human bones.

Forts.] The ftations occupied by the troops of the United States on the frontiers, are the following.

FORT FRANKLIN-On French creek, near to the poft formerly called Venango, is a fmall ftrong fort with one cannon, was erected in 1787, and

* A parara, which answers to what in the fouthern ftates is called a savannah, is an extenfive rich plain, without trees, and covered with grass. Some of thefe pararas, between Poft St. Vincent and the Miffifippi are 30 or 40 miles broad, and feveral hundred miles in length. In palling them, as far as the eye can reach, there is not a tree to be jeen; but there is plenty of buffaloes, deer, elks, bears, and evolves, and innumerable flocks of turkies; thefe, with the green grass, form a rich and beautiful profpect.

garrifoned

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